ALBANIA

National Conference Held

The Government of Albania held a national conference on Water Users Associations on October 21 and 22, 1996 with the primary purpose of presenting the achievement under the Irrigation Rehabilitation Project regarding:(a) the establishment of Water User Associations, (b) management transfer of rehabilitated canals, and (c) reform of district-level state water enterprises. The seminar organizers invited about 270 guests comprising various stakeholders such as municipality officials, farmers, and university professors, and staff of the state water enterprises across the country. A follow-up national seminar is planned for March, to be co-sponsored with EDI of the World Bank. Proceedings of the October conference are listed in the "Readings" section of this Newsletter, and are available from the INPIM Coordinator.

- by Toru Konishi, World Bank, Washington, DC, 20433, USA

CENTRAL ASIA

In Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) irrigation is a corner stone of agricultural production. Agriculture is the large economic sector providing a substantial part of the region's export earnings. About 60% of the population in the Central Asian States are rural. It is primarily the expansion of irrigated area during the last 35 years which has led to the massive withdrawals of river water and the resulting desiccation of the Aral Sea.

The existing irrigation infrastructure in Central Asia was designed to support large-scale and state owned agricultural collective farms. The ongoing transition toward private farming, downsizing in the scale of farms' operation, introducing new pricing and trade policies, need to be supported by the adequate system of irrigation water allocation, institutions and infrastructure compatible with agricultural reforms. Poor performance of irrigation and drainage systems, low operation efficiencies, deficiencies in construction and maintenance cause environmental problems, intensive soil salinization and further contribute to the Aral Sea basin ecological crisis.

To address the issues of irrigation sector development in five Central Asian republics under economic and political reforms and unfavorable environmental situation, a regional seminar on irrigation policy development in Central Asia is being scheduled on February 24-28, 1997, and will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The seminar is organized by the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, in collaboration with the Interstate Council on the Aral Sea. Participants will include senior and mid-level officials from the relevant government and non-government agencies from five Central Asian Republics. The Seminar will seek to define a vision for irrigation sector development in these countries, and in particular a consensus on priorities among different ministries and agencies involved in irrigation investment planning.

For further information about the seminar , please contact Rimma Dankova at the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, Washington DC; Tel: (202) 458-5769; Fax: (202) 676-0977.

CHINA

A national seminar on PIM was held at the Du-Jian-Yen dam site (a 2000-year-old locally managed large irrigation system) in Sechuan Province on October 16th-18th, 1996. The seminar was sponsored by the Ministry of Water Resources of China and EDI of the World Bank. Participants were officials from central government and 13 provincial governments. The main objectives of the seminar were: to review issues in irrigation management in China, to discuss and learn from foreign cases, and make policy recommendations to the Government. The seminar participants reached consensus on the following points:

The concept of PIM and the examples of Mexico and Turkey have relevance to China, in spite of many social, economic, and climatic differences.

The Chinese pilot schemes on PIM in Hubei and Hunan provinces have performed well, and may be extended to other provinces.

Delegations from 10 provinces expressed interest in formulating pilot schemes on PIM.

A follow-up national seminar on PIM will be held in April 1997 to discuss national policy reform issues and to exchange ideas on provincial pilot schemes. 

EGYPT

As follow-up to the national seminar on PIM held in Cairo in March 1996, Egypt is planning a second national seminar from February 24-28, 1997 in Alexandria. The seminar will be co-sponsored by the Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources, and the Economic Development Institute. The seminar's objectives will be to formulate a nation-wide action plan on PIM, and to establish an Egyptian chapter of INPIM. For further information, please contact Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, Chairman, National Water Research Centre, Shoubra El Khima 13411, P.O. Box 74, Cairo, Egypt (Tel: 20-2-220-5341; Fax: 20-2-220-8219. 

INDIA

National Seminar

EDI of the World Bank and Ministry of Water Resources of India will co-sponsor a national seminar on PIM, to be held in New Delhi from January 20 to 22, 1997. This seminar will be an opportunity for the Indian promoters of PIM to reflect upon the past year which has seen a high level of PIM activity throughout the country. Some 13 state-level seminars have been conducted (see article below on Bihar's seminar) and some 60 project-level seminars are underway.

For further information, contact Mr. L.K. Joshi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi-11001, India. Tel: (97-11) 3710343: Fax: (97-11)3710253.

India - Bihar State-Level Seminar

A regional level conference on PIM was organized on Jan 22-23, 1996 at the Water & Land Management Institute (WALMI) Patna as one in series of the conferences as a follow-up of the National conference, Delhi June 19-23, 1995. The conference was attended by 131 participants including farmers, non-government organization representatives, academicians, water resource engineers, bankers and many high level officials from relevant ministries of the state government. The seminar resulted in specific recommendations for implementing PIM policies in the state.

As follow up of these recommendations, the Water Resources Department of the State moved quickly and in the regular monthly meeting (Feb. 96) of senior field Engineers, PIM was introduced to them with the help of WALMI faculty. The engineers were asked to select at least one channel (distributary or minor) in their jurisdiction and also select junior level officers (Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineers usually having a diploma in Civil Engineering) and initiate PIM in their jurisdiction in close association of WALMI.

Two meetings of field officers (April 15, 1996 and May 27-28, 1996) have been organized at WALMI. In the first meeting they were made aware of the policies, action plans and recent programmes in PIM within and outside the country. They were then briefed on the PIM programme in the state. Information about 15 channels, small and large, were compiled and officers were sent back with the assignment that (i) they would further study the channel (ii) formulate their team (iii) visit the area and contact key farmers & (iv) prepare an annual plan (1996-97) for implementing PIM in the selected channel command.

In the second two day meeting of field officers the PIM implementation plan was discussed in detail to enable WALMI to formulate a consolidated proposal for a PIM programme in Bihar for 1996-97. A proposed draft guide line for implementing PIM in Bihar was also introduced to the field officers and their comments invited. Some input on topics of team building, principles of participation and motivation was also given by WALMI faculty to field officers.

The Minor Irrigation Department of the state has also moved towards implementing PIM specially in management of deep tube well and lift irrigation schemes in the state. The Secretary, Minor Irrigation Department has also taken up with the Government and finalized modalities for handing over state owned tube wells to the beneficiaries' financial contribution. A number of state tube wells have been identified under this programme and beneficiary committees have been formed with the help of field officers.

The Bihar Government, in its cabinet meeting (June 7, 1996), gave approval to the proposal that "the work of operation, management and distribution of canal water, maintenance of canal system and collection of water rate in Paliganj Distributary of Easter Sone canal, including all its sub-distributaries, from head to tail end should be handed over to Paliganj Distributary level farmers committee (Registered under the Society Registration Act). 70 percent of the total water rate collected will be made available to the farmers' committee for maintenance of the canal system and the remaining 30 percent will be made available to the Department for expenditure to be incurred for maintenance of the head works, main canal/branch canal."

For more information please contact Mr. L. P. Srivastava, WALMI, P. O. Phulwarisharif, Patna-801505 India.